awscli not added to path after installation

Question

I installed the aws cli according to the offical Amazon directions.

sudo pip install awscli

However, aws is nowhere to be found in my path. The installation seems to have been successful. There are a number of files located at /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.3/lib/python3.3/site-packages/awscli, however there are no executables named aws. My python version is 3.3.4, my pip version is 1.5.4, and running this command on OS X 10.9. What could be wrong?

Thanks!

can you import ? did you check if the library in PYTHONPATH ? — Shawn Zhang, Apr 28 '14 at 03:54

Bruno Bronosky · Accepted Answer · 2020-02-18T02:03:11.973

Improving the OP's Answer

The OP answered their own question, but the exact location of the executable is more likely to be different than it is to be the same. So, let's break down WHY his solution worked so you can apply it to yourself.

From the problem

There are a number of files located at /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.3/lib/python3.3/site-packages/awscli, however there are no executables named aws.

From the solution

The solution was to add /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.3/bin to the my PATH.

Let's learn something

Compare those paths to find their commonality:

/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.3/lib/python3.3/site-packages/awscli
/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.3/bin

Notice that they diverge at lib vs. bin. And consider that the OP stated, "there are no executables named aws." That brings us to our first learning lessons:

Executables tend to not be in lib folders.
Look for bin folders that share a common lineage.

In this case I would have suggested looking for bin folders via:

find /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework -type d -name bin

But, if you are going to do that, you might as well just search for your executable via:

find /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework -type f -perm -100 -name aws
# the `-` in `perm -100` means not an exact match of 100
# but any octal that includes 100

But wait

How did OP know to look in their /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.3/lib/python3.3/site-packages/?

The easiest answer is also our next learning lesson:

Ask your python where things are installed.

Here is how I do that:

$ python -c 'import awscli; print(awscli)'
<module 'awscli' from '/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/site-packages/awscli/__init__.pyc'>

$ python3 -c 'import awscli; print(awscli)'
<module 'awscli' from '/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.6/lib/python3.6/site-packages/awscli/__init__.py'>

I have 2 Pythons and neither of them use the same paths or even path patterns as the OP.

Apply what we've learned

$ find /System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework -type d -name bin
/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin
/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.6/bin

$ find /System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework -type f -perm -100 -name aws
/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin/aws
/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.6/bin/aws

As you can see, I have 2 bin folders and 2 aws executables. I probably want to use the Python3.6 version. However, if I'm doing local trial and error work for a remote system that uses the Python2.7 version, I'm going to want to use that. And this is exactly why I have 2 version installed.

One of the best answers I've ever found on Stack Overflow. Thanks! — Pawel Janicki, Jun 09 '17 at 22:00
@VishalDesai The way you are feeling is why I add things like Step 4 in https://stackoverflow.com/a/41994024/117471 Yes, it's hard to go through a list like this when you want a quick solution. But, those only work for systems that exactly match the author's. I write answers like this AFTER I have tried every answer I could find and nothing worked. These answers get linked in my DevOps team manual because we have a LOT of non-standard systems to support. I write answers that work for **ALL of them**. Hopefully that works for **MORE of you**. Sorry it didn't work for you. Get some sleep. — Bruno Bronosky, Nov 01 '17 at 16:41
Apologies for yesterday's comment. The second comment actually worked for me. I got some sleep, rejuvenated and the solution came by shortly thereafter. — Vishal Desai, Nov 02 '17 at 09:01
@BrunoBronosky thank you for this answer, it speaks well for humanity when someone takes their valuable time to explain things in detail for the common good. — davecoffin, Jan 25 '18 at 13:48
if installed with pip and --user then it may end up in `/Users/foo.bar/Library/Python/3.5/bin` — danmux, Sep 14 '18 at 10:03
@danmux is correct, and the New MacOS security model wants you the do `--user` installs instead of `sudo` installs. And this is why `python -c 'import awscli; print(awscli)'` is so important. It will detect that path. All SO answers should explain "how to get the answer" rather than "this worked for me". Not to be critical. I realize some people don't know how to do that research. In that case, their answer may help someone else to come along and expand it to be more universal. This is a great example of that. — Bruno Bronosky, Sep 14 '18 at 14:59
In my particular experience, you should not use the `find` commands precisely like above, but rather `find -name aws` — matanster, Feb 26 '19 at 14:34

score 82 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 20 '18 at 19:41

82

This worked for me on mac:

sudo -H pip install awscli --upgrade --ignore-installed six

answered Mar 20 '18 at 19:41

dheeraj .A

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This was the easy solution and best for not so nerdy guys who just need it to work fast. – athul Nov 29 '18 at 15:44
3

Can anyone explain how this works? It worked without any issues – tt_Gantz May 15 '19 at 07:11
1

For some reason this also works with pip3 to install the AWS Python 3 version. – renatoaraujoc Jun 10 '19 at 02:47
LEGEND Dheeraj! :) – Yavar Sep 20 '19 at 20:38
, gracias, for context it did not work for me cause I had installed python under . `anaconda3` – VelLes Oct 09 '19 at 17:47
Yes! Thank you! Best solution. Tried a few of the above ones but only this one worked. – Sharkboots Dec 12 '19 at 06:21

Bruno Bronosky · Answer 3 · 2017-05-08T04:04:36.957

From http://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/userguide/cli-install-macos.html#awscli-install-osx-path

For Modern macos/OSX, you need to find your ~/Library/Python/$version/bin directory and add it to your $PATH. This will help you locate the one where aws got installed.

$ ls -d ~/Library/Python/*/bin/aws
/Users/bbronosky/Library/Python/3.6/bin/aws

So based on that I added this line to my .bashrc

export PATH=$HOME/Library/Python/3.6/bin:$PATH

score 28 · Answer 4 · answered Mar 06 '19 at 15:28

28

On ubuntu and installed with pip3 without sudo, the correct location to add to my path was ~/.local/bin:

export PATH=$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH

answered Mar 06 '19 at 15:28

vlz

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Fyi: The answer still applies for Ubuntu 22.04! – Vad1mo Apr 26 '22 at 21:09

score 11 · Answer 5 · answered Apr 28 '14 at 03:58

11

The solution was to add

/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.3/bin

to the my PATH.

answered Apr 28 '14 at 03:58

Max

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Or, wherever your Python resides (in my case, it was /opt/local/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.4) – Yevgeniy Oct 18 '15 at 16:16
2

This is a VERY "selfish" answer selection. It really does nothing for the community. – Bruno Bronosky Mar 23 '17 at 17:25
I took your answer and explained it at http://stackoverflow.com/a/42984351/117471 – Bruno Bronosky Mar 23 '17 at 18:38

wltheng · Answer 6 · 2019-01-24T05:39:28.883

9

Can use pip show awscli to find the installation location.

$ pip show awscli
Name: awscli
Version: 1.16.94
Summary: Universal Command Line Environment for AWS.
Home-page: http://aws.amazon.com/cli/
Author: Amazon Web Services
Author-email: UNKNOWN
License: Apache License 2.0
Location: /root/.local/lib/python2.7/site-packages
Requires: s3transfer, colorama, rsa, docutils, botocore, PyYAML
Required-by:

edited Jan 24 '19 at 05:39

answered Jan 24 '19 at 04:12

wltheng

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Thanks, this one helped narrow it down fast :). – John Humphreys Jun 25 '19 at 01:17

score 3 · Answer 7 · answered May 16 '14 at 16:50

I upgraded from OSX 10.7 to OSX 10.9 and afterwards, my installation of aws no longer worked.

I observed errors like this:

$ pip
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/local/bin/pip", line 5, in <module>
    from pkg_resources import load_entry_point
  File "/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/Extras/lib/python/pkg_resources.py", line 2603, in <module>
working_set.require(__requires__)
  File "/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/Extras/lib/python/pkg_resources.py", line 666, in require
needed = self.resolve(parse_requirements(requirements))
  File "/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/Extras/lib/python/pkg_resources.py", line 565, in resolve
    raise DistributionNotFound(req)  # XXX put more info here
pkg_resources.DistributionNotFound: pip==1.5.5

The solution that the operating system upgrade had changed permissions.

Giveaway clue:

sudo pip <--- worked

pip <--- failed

So I did this:

sudo chmod -R a+r /Library/Python/

and then afterwards, I'm able to use the aws commands again.

Not sure if this is something that will be helpful for others, but figured I'd throw it into the mix.

score 3 · Answer 8 · answered Aug 02 '15 at 19:40

3

When installing in a virtualenv: 'pip install awscli' (without sudo) worked fine on OS X; but not on CentOS release 6.6, e.g. 'which aws' found nothing. The solution:

chmod u+x /PATH-TO-YOUR-VIRTUALENV/bin/aws

answered Aug 02 '15 at 19:40

Scott Lawton

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score 1 · Answer 9 · answered Dec 06 '17 at 01:22

Edit the `paths` file directly if you have admin rights.

Definitely go with the top answer if you don't have admin rights, but if you do then I would highly recommend directly editing the paths files, located at /etc/paths.

Use your favorite editor and simply paste the desired path on a new line:

Sample paths file:

/usr/local/bin
/usr/bin
/bin
/usr/sbin
/sbin
/Users/username/Library/Python/3.6/bin #new path added here at bottom of file

Paste at the top or bottom or in whatever order you would like the locations searched for binaries (in the event there are binaries with duplicate names).

Using the paths file saves you the hassle of remembering the concatenation syntax or the potential trouble if you write an faulty export statement.

score 1 · Answer 10 · answered Aug 04 '18 at 21:22

1

What I typically do is copy the executable to /usr/local/bin

cp $(find / -name aws) /usr/local/bin

answered Aug 04 '18 at 21:22

Proximo

6,235
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Great answer! Thanks! – Humanier Feb 25 '19 at 03:38
In my case aws was in `/usr/bin` i copied it from there. – Dnyaneshwar Harer Dec 20 '19 at 12:49

score 1 · Answer 11 · answered Oct 31 '20 at 11:55

1

export PATH=/Users/{Computer Name}/Library/Python/2.7/bin:$PATH

answered Oct 31 '20 at 11:55

nolanjacobson

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score 0 · Answer 12 · answered Nov 21 '16 at 22:14

0

Windows is likely the minority here, but adding below to my PATH worked for me. For reference, I installed the CLI via pip:

C:\Python27\Scripts

answered Nov 21 '16 at 22:14

BRass

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score 0 · Answer 13 · edited Sep 22 '18 at 03:02

0

I had a similar problem on windows 10. I had to add below to PATH variables

For Python:

C:\Users\kumar\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python37\

For PIP:

C:\Users\kumar\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python37\Scripts\

For awscli to work:

C:\Users\kumar\AppData\Roaming\Python\Python37\Scripts

edited Sep 22 '18 at 03:02

schrodingerscatcuriosity

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answered Sep 22 '18 at 00:58

kmahankali

1

score 0 · Answer 14 · answered Aug 07 '19 at 03:40

0

check your python version but I guessed you are using python 3.3

export PATH=$HOME/Library/Python/3.3/bin:$PATH

answered Aug 07 '19 at 03:40

lukelan

1

score 0 · Answer 15 · answered Oct 14 '19 at 00:42

0

An alternative way is to install the aws-cli package via methods found at https://cloudacademy.com/blog/how-to-use-aws-cli/. This has worked for me :)

answered Oct 14 '19 at 00:42

Gwen Au

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score 0 · Answer 16 · answered Jul 29 '22 at 05:02

On some distros, if you run pip install (without sudo), the binaries are placed in '~/.local/bin', which is not typically in the user's path -- but can be added.

Using sudo pip install (root install) causes the packages to be put in '/usr/local/bin', which should be in the user's path. However, it includes this message on Ubuntu 22.04:

WARNING: Running pip as the 'root' user can result in broken permissions and conflicting behaviour with the system package manager. It is recommended to use a virtual environment instead: https://pip.pypa.io/warnings/venv

Example commands to install and run aws in a Python virtual environment...

python3 -m venv myenv && source myenv/bin/activate
pip install awscli
aws ## use awscli
deactivate ## deactivate the virtual environment

As with many such tools, it may be best to run awscli inside a container. — Brent Bradburn, Dec 05 '22 at 16:47

score -1 · Answer 17 · answered Jul 25 '20 at 14:13

Simply download & MSI installer (64 Or 32 -bit) Install or update the AWS CLI version 2 on Windows using the MSI installer

After installation, You may get an error "'aws'" is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file."

Simply check Environment variable, Variable name must be 'PATH' and put value "C:\Program Files\Amazon\AWSCLIV2" Close command prompt window and reopen it. The problem will be resolved.

awscli not added to path after installation

17 Answers17

Improving the OP's Answer

From the problem

From the solution

Let's learn something

But wait

Apply what we've learned

Edit the `paths` file directly if you have admin rights.

Linked

awscli not added to path after installation

17 Answers17

Improving the OP's Answer

From the problem

From the solution

Let's learn something

But wait

Apply what we've learned

Edit the paths file directly if you have admin rights.

Linked

Edit the `paths` file directly if you have admin rights.